About & Reservations

Tom Douglas’ TanakaSan, a lively modern Asian-American bar and restaurant located on the ground level of the Via6 residence in the Denny Regrade neighborhood. Chef and Partner, Eric Tanaka, incorporated his background as a Japanese-American kid, growing up in LA’s cultural melting pot, into this playful menu, some highlights of which include sake slushies, twice-fried chicken wings, Osaka pancakes, bento boxes and caramelized coconut beef.

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Chef, Tanakasan

Melissa Martz

Chef, Tanakasan

Melissa Martz started working part time with the Tom Douglas team in the catering department as she finished her degree in Public Health at the UW. She returned to Tom Douglas Seattle Kitchen in 2015, after some years of travel and more restaurant work, to take on the position as Chef of Tanakasan.

Melissa grew up in a household where food was of paramount importance. Her mom’s traditional Jewish challah was, of course, the best--but she also made a mean sancocho and lion’s head meatballs that reflected her Cuban and New York heritages. Her dad, with his Midwestern roots, took care of the fried chicken cooked in cast iron, which also became a staple dish in Melissa’s childhood.

Melissa’s culinary work experience has been diverse—from cooking Mexican brunch at a gay bar, to the steep learning curve of developing a high-volume scratch pastry program, to working the wood oven as Sous Chef at Renee Erickson’s The Whale Wins.

Cooking jobs have allowed Melissa to move from the Midwest to the West Coast to the mountains of North Carolina and back, with trips outside the country along the way, including travel to Vietnam, Korea, Indonesia, Mexico, and Cambodia.

Melissa lives in the Central District neighborhood of Seattle with her partner, dog, and loads of cookbooks and records. She continues on her never-ending quest to find the best fried chicken in Seattle.